Scarborough: Connecticut is in Crisis

“I absolutely love Connecticut, and that’s the irony.” said Joe Scarborough during a taping of Face the State that aired Sunday. The host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC has become a vocal critic of the new state budget and has brought the backlash over the budget to the national conversation. Within days of Scarborough mentioning the tax hikes here, Georgia, Texas, and Indiana all made overtures to disgrunted Connecticut companies, essentially saying “move here, we’ll show you some love.”

The former congressman moved to New Canaan in 2011, and has fallen in love with his adopted state. He misses the lower cost of living in Florida, where he served as a congressman, but proudly rattles off the attributes of his new state including hospitals, UConn and even the winter. Scarborough is certainly disappointed with the legislature and their passing of the new budget, but he won’t be fleeing the Constitution State. “This is my home, and more importantly, my kids’ home.”

“We have to right size how Hartford runs.” Scarborough told me he wants to do his part to make Connecticut a better place for businesses and the rest of us. “It would be a great tragedy if we let one business after another business after another business leave.” I asked Scarborough if he was interested in running for office here in Connecticut, and he said Mika wouldn’t let him right now. So what about running for governor in 2018? “One day at a time.”

As for his immediate plans, he wants to help Connecticut, and might create a non-profit to do it.

Also on the program, Susan Raff talks with House Speaker Brendan Sharkey and Republican State Senator Kevin Witkos about the budget backlash and the special session. Our flashback takes us back to May of 1993, when Mika Brzezinski was covering the big story of the day: whether United Technologies would close one of its Pratt Whitney plants and move jobs out of state.

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Hey Joe, My CT state/local tax burden is 20% of my income. According to the Tax Incidence Report, this is just about where I should be, and I am. Residents in my group, the working poor, lower middle, and retirees, based on the CT state/local tax burden, we are about the most overtaxed group in the nation. For the wealthy, the CT state/local tax burden is about 8% of income. By some measurements, Connecticut may have the 2nd lowest overall business tax burden, but #2 in property tax burden. The Massachusetts tax system is less regressive than Connecticut’s taxes, and Massachusetts doesn’t tax it’s non-wealthy as wildly as Connecticut does, but despite this, the conservative think-tank, Tax Foundation ranked Massachusetts as being #24 in business environment, while Connecticut ranked #42 in it’s business environment. You also know that MA grew by 2.3% while CT grew by 0.6 percent. While your plank will be to double down on ‘trickle down’ and ‘supply side’, how about relief for us who pay up to 25% of our income in state and local taxation?

I do not watch Morning Joe, but I assume that he works in New York City? His paycheck from Morning Joe is subject to New York state income tax deductions, and since the New York income tax is higher than the Connecticut income tax, Joe gets a New York state income tax credit against his Connecticut income tax, on that portion of income. State income tax on the Morning Joe show is paid to New York, and not Connecticut. Joe can thank the former Greenwich Republican State Senator William Nickerson for single handedly getting the wealthy a tax cut back in 1991, for which Joe benefits today. As Joe seems to blame his high income tax rate on Connecticut, the rich are usually confused about their taxes, thinking that they pay a lot more than they really do. When all levels of taxation are taken into account, the $5M guy doesn’t pay that much more than the $50K earner, when expressed as an percentage of income. Rich people, cry me a river.

http://www.seaandsandrealty.com Myrtle Beach, SC. Its where people who are feed up with CT and MA go to live the good life. Let me send you some listings to show you just how far your money can go in this magnificent climate.

I’m going to be one of those that hopefully will be leaving this God-forsaken state-I can’t wait…..planning on moving to a state that has no income tax, no sales tax (yes, I’m sure there’s something to replace that but I won’t be buying a house in said state). I’m tired of my income going down, I’m tired of listening to you politician’s bull year after year. How do you think we all felt with this budget passing, that not that long ago (early in this year), you gave some of your workers a 10% raise!! Granted I had a small 2%-first raise that I and my co-workers have gotten in 9 years, but guess what-health insurance premiums went up more than that-some as high as 15%! I don’t think there is ANYTHING that you or any other politician can say to make things in this state better-it’s a lost cause. Enjoy your new ‘adopted’ state….I can’t wait to leave.

http://www.seaandsandrealty.com Myrtle Beach, SC. Its where people who are feed up with CT and MA go to live the good life. Let me send you some listings to show you just how far your money can go in this magnificent climate.

I am retired living on social security and a pension. I am also a avid shooter. I have found a few states that do not tax social security and a pensions and are firearm friendly. As soon as I find a suitable home in one of these states I am leaving Connecticut ASAP.

CT is taxing the working people and retirees towards poverty, while embracing the social welfare class and illegal immigrants. My feeling that we are no a land of opportunity we are becoming a land of entitlement on the backs of the working class.

Talking about a plan and following up on a plan are two different things. Tired of people saying all these wonderful things to save our state yet more and more companies are leaving. Why don’t they look at those food stamp families that eat thick steaks and lobster and name brands that don’t care about sales instead of hitting us working poor that has to buy ramen noodles on sale?

I’ve lived here my entire 61 years but am quickly realizing that retirement here is NOT an
Option. House/farm is going on market this week. Leaving friends and family in an effort to survive without counting every penny. Never thought I would ever consider this. Sad but the only option the politicians have left us. Shame on you for taxing the middle class to DEATH!

If you noticed, Mr. Scarborough is complaining about his taxes and taxes on corporations, and to sum that up, Mr. Scarborough is complaining about taxes on the rich. How do fix that? The position is to double-down on ‘supply-side’ and ‘trickle-down’ economics. We’ve had ‘supply-side’ and ‘trickle-down’ economics for 35 years, with the middle class being worse off than they were 35 years ago. The solution to every economic problem always seems to include putting more money in the hands of the rich and leaving more money in the hands of the rich. This year, for the first time, Democratic General Assembly members are taking notice of people like you and I, and the rich don’t like it.